I've seen many 'Best Of 2021' lists by now, but this one absolutely stands out as my favorite. There's so much variety instead of the common choices already out there. I really appreciate the eclectic taste of this channel.
Second person I'm subbed to, that suggested Unsighted. Never heard any mainstream coverage of that game, but now its going on my Steam Wishlist. Astalon as well.
Wow, Pam, completing 39 games in a single year is such an amazing achievement.....coming from someone who struggles to complete even half a dozen 😉. Your top 10 was also the most eclectic mix of games that I have seen so far, in lists of this sort. I hope you're having a wonderful Festive Season, & look forward to your new content in 2022! 🙂
@@Cannotbetamed1 I played a bunch of different games in 2021 but only "finished" 6 or maybe 7. And one of those was a replay. I wish I had your attention span. Heh.
I will admit I am slow to checking out the indie game selections. I normally wouldn't know where to start but videos like yours, Pam may give me a few ideas. I'm glad a few of them replicate retro games since that's more my taste. Anyway hope you had a great Christmas and hopefully have a less apocalyptic new year.
Damn, that's a lot of games. I honestly struggle to remember what I've played this year, cause 2020 and 2021 have merged into one giant grey blob or "ugh." But if I had to choose from what I do recall playing in 2021, it'd have to be . . . Skyward Sword HD. Heard so many mixed things about it over the last ten years, and maybe it's cause the Switch port got rid of a lot of the bugbears that people talked about, but I got really caught up in it. Found it charming as hell. Next up for me is Metroid Dread, which if I remember correctly, has the seal of approval from this channel. D-doesn't it?
I think Capcom realised they dropped the ball a bit with RE Village by only having Lady Dimitrescu in the opening act. I recall one of the devs commenting they did not know just how hugely popular she would be. Heck, the actresses who brought her to life have won awards, and I think she's the reason a number of people bought the game in the first place. Solid list as always. Hope you have an awesome 2022! :)
I think even if Lady D had just been a later area of the game that would have been good. I like that the game was divided up between multiple big bads, but she could have been around for longer.
@@Cannotbetamed1 I would love it if she got resurrected somehow or had her own spinoff game. She might very well be the most memorable villain / NPC in the entire franchise.
Great list, Pam! I love your wide range of often obscure or under the radar game picks. After the last game I picked up at your recommendation (Blasphemous, 100% completed now btw, So Good!) I'm going to give The Forgotten City a try (at some point, Santa was good to me this year!). I will give Grime a go as well if it comes to console. Thanks for always having a surprising recommendation! Best YT channel I have found in a long while. Happy New Year!
I got Metroid Dread for Christmas and I'm into it. Just started it. The E.M.M.I. sequences are like these survival horror puzzle things that once I got the hang of them I really started liking them. I managed to escape the E M M I grasps twice! It's hard but I think I get it.
Nice to hear you enjoyed Forza Horizon 5. I believe I recommended it to you earlier in the year, and yeah, prior to playing a Forza Horizon game, I never would've thought a racing game would be among my favorite games ever. Amusingly, according to that Xbox Museum thing Microsoft released recently to coincide with the Xbox 20th anniversary, ever since I started playing Forza Horizon 3, a Forza Horizon game has been my most-played game every single year (on Xbox, at least, but probably in general). I've played each of them for probably hundreds of hours, and I just never seem to get sick of them. Forza Horizon 5 is a bit of a mess out of the gate, but it's still really captivating and has tons of content to keep you exploring.
Your comments on Unsighted: "I love games that force you to make hard choices" and "this the kind of game is meant to be played more than once" are a lot more appealing than the visuals that are shown. I couldn't quite tell if this my jam or not. An excellent video as always. Inscryption and The Forgotten City sound like my cup of tea!
There’s a new game from a brand new studio, it’s called “the pale beyond”. It’s on steam, it’s not out yet. But if hard decision are your vibe then it looks like your thing.
I love weird/creepy as well as card games so picked up Inscryption based on your recommendation. Haven't been able to put it down since; what an incredible game. Thank you for the awesome recommendations as always!
Slightly disappointed that you didn't dress up in a rhinestone tuxedo to present your awards, but still a great list! I never even heard of Before Your Eyes, but now I'm super interested in finding out more!
I've found this year to be a great time for indie and non AAA games and it has been very refreshing. I didn't bother getting a PS5 / Xbox this time round and I am loving the back log and smaller games. Anything Annapurna has put their name to has been excellent fun! We need more non AAA stables out there putting out decent games.
Most of my games of the year were thanks to you! And Grime looks impressive, The bosses look awesome, That's another one i need to look into. Thanks for all the great videos and recommendations this year, Pam!
Oh btw, if you liked Boyfriend dungeon, you probably gonna like Maglam Lord which just released on the switch. In this game you play as a demon lord who can turn into weapons... and you let others wield you, and then you date the people wielding you... so yeah, its awesome
🎮🎮🎮 been stuck on Final Fantasy for 12 months Stuck on the one where they become gremlins with the purple good game to have to check them out thank you for sharing happy New Year 🎮🎮😊
Wow, what a wide range of different games. Its quite surprising how different the titles on your top 10 list are :) Many of them I never heard of or did not see or red about much. But I really appreciate it :) For me its quite hard to make a Top10 List this year, because I bought just 3 or 4 titles, so its hard to even think of 5 titles that i liked this year: 1.) Oddworld: Soulstorm 2.) Loop Hero 3.) Shadow Man Remastered 4.) Geneforge 1 - Mutagen(Remake of the orginal Genforge 1 from Spiderweb Software) 5.) Subnautica: Below Zero I played Yakuza 1 and 2 Kiwami his year. The games are really great but took a lot of time to finish them(between 50 and 60 hours). So I was quite busy this years playing older games. But still, i wished 2021 were more of a year for role-playing games. I hope 2022 will be better :) I wish you a happy new year, Pam and a happy new year for everyone else! See you next year! Really looking forward to it, because your channel and your videos are my favorites on youtube! :)
Chicory and Unsighted are definite buys, 2 guys or gals from Brazil made Unsighted. It’s always good to see small studios pull out a beast. Looks like the Hyper Light Drifter sequel I’ve been hoping for.
Great video and list! Found you via Dia Lacina and really enjoy your content. Excited to go through and watch past videos to learn more of your faves. Did you not like Wildermyth? Been hearing great things but haven’t tried it myself. Would also love to know what some of your faves are that you played this year but DIDN’T come out this year. Thanks for the video!
Hey, welcome to the channel! I did like Wildermyth. I thought the procedural generation was very clever, but I also didn't really feel the need to continue playing after a round (campaign?) or two. My favourite games I played in 2021 that didn't come out during the year were Dark Souls 3, Yakuza Zero, The Procession to Calvary, and The Curse of Monkey Island.
Great list and video, you always make great videos. I didn’t know about a lot of the non-Metroidvania games so thank you. And Astalon was number 2 on my lost behind Phoenotopia. I know you were having a hard time getting into that game but the two of them are my two favorites from this past year. Keep up the great work for 2022!
I spent the day on a Forgotten City binge because I couldn't put it down once I started. That was such a strong recommendation. Really excellent game. Thanks for suggesting it! I wouldn't have known about it otherwise!
Didn't know a bout The Forgotten City, but I'll definately be checking that out. A final addition to a long list of great recommendations from your channel over the course of the year. I played a lot of backlog stuff this year, and not so many new games as I'd have liked. But a few 2021 titles managed to squeeze into the schedule. Boyfriend Dungeon and Unpacking are two unexpected favorites. I'm clearly not the target audience for either, but just couldn't put them away once started. And I really enjoyed Forza Horiozon 5, and Psychonauts 2 as well. Far Cry 6 is my other AAA pick of the year. Thanks for all the videos of 2021, and here's to another year of fun and games in 2022!
It's funny. My gf loves Forza Horizon 5 too and she never thought she would ever like a car game, as a matter of fact she always avoided them but she's hooked on FH5. It's a really good game, I have exactly 11 days of game time according the xbox game pass app profile thing on pc.
I don't play many modern games, Not intentionally, I just play whatever is affordablr in the E Shop. I want to play that Asralon game you showed at the end, I want to give it a shot because it looks fun. Though to be fully honest it seemsa bit pricey for my budget. I might splurge and treat myself. Pyschonauts 2 looks very interesting as well. Good video.
I don't think I've played a single thing that came out this year, but my favorite out of what I've played in 2021 is easily Creepy Castle. The title is super generic, but it really surprised me. It's almost like a cross between those old Roguelikes like Castle of the Winds where everything moves in turns, and one of those ancient sidescrolling Action-RPG things like Lutter on the Famicom Disk System, but combat also has WarioWare-style microgames. The whole game has a Princess-Remedy-style Commodore 64 look to it, and the soundtrack has an excellent NES sound to it. What really caught me off-guard, though, was how good the story was; I was just collecting logs as I went, and at the end of the first scenario, it clubbed me upside the head, leading to an unexpectedly emotional climax. Then, there were 4 whole new scenarios, each building an almost completely different kind of game, while using the same engine. Sadly, it didn't do very well, and it's only on Steam, but I'll gladly recommend it to anyone with a PC and an appreciation for the classics.
The only games I've played that came out this year where Little Nightmares II, GRIME and Ender Lilies (all on PC through Steam, with a Xbox One controller). I liked GRIME the most, put about 93 hours in that game. I also found it a bit easier than Ender Lilies, which has quite tough bosses and passages and 3 chances to heal at start (which was sometimes punishing). I'll have another go with GRIME when comes to Xbox One. Had another go with The Surge 2 (Premium Edition, with all DLC's) on PC as well. Happy new year and greetz from the Netherlands!
@@Cannotbetamed1 Those were actually 2 playthroughs. I missed the opportunity for the alternate ending by choosing to fight the final boss (I won't spoil further). The game has no New Game+ (yet), so I had to start anew from level 1 on a new savefile, fought some quite hard optional bosses and I wanted to find all the collectibles on the 1st save. On the 2nd playthrough I used the pulling skill more and got quite familiar with deflecting and absorbing, making some things a bit easier (spent more mass on the resonance stat). Today I also completed Ender Lilies, that took me about 51 hours. Wanted to find everything and some locations (like Twin Spires, Verboten Domain and The Abyss) were though to get through. Also a good half of the bosses gave me a very hard time to learn their attack patterns and how to deal with them, and some skills from the spirits I had to practice with. But finally I made to 100% completion.
My personal favorite of 2021 was "There is No Game". Such a weird quirky point and click in the 21st century. Great game if you love Douglass Adams and Terry Pratchett.
Hey Pam Great list! I just picked up Astalon recently. I’m going to play it after I finish Tails of Iron. I loved Ender Lilies as well. Other games I finished this year (maybe didn’t release this year) that stood out were Deaths Gambit Afterlife, Aggelos, 3000th Dual and Minoria. Hope you have a happy and blessed New Year!
Great video - we had almost zero overlap in games played! Haha. I play on Mac/PC & Switch, and most hours went into a replay (with both DLC) of The Outer Worlds on Switch, and I’m in the midst of Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous on Mac now. Really enjoyed discovering your channel (from a VtM video, another game I replayed this year!), happy new year and good luck in the coming year!
Really good, diverse list! I really want to play Forza but I know I'll play for maybe a day or two, b/c racing usually isn't my thing. ...But I do want to play it just to say I played it lol.
Cool list, and seems we have a lot of overlap in the games we enjoy, plus I get to see new ones I've never heard of if I follow this channel, so looks like I've found myself a new curator of cool games. ^^
Fuck yeah, Astalon! What a great, great game that came out of nowhere for me and, as with you, gripped me from start to finish. Each night after the kids were asleep, I was chomping at the bit to get back to it and further my progress. Astalon and Cyber Shadow were the only games this year which managed to keep me glued to a single game from the time I started them to the moment I completed them. I am very excited to see where the series goes from here.
Astalon looks great- I just finished Tails of Iron and it was one of my GotY great Ratroidvania with Souks-like combat - so a new metroidvania is welcome. My physical copy of Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth, turned up today though so I’m about to start it right away x Happy New Year Pam, your channel is my first point of call for Metroidvania info now x
Great list Pam, surprised no Deaths Door, but you have convinced me to give the Forgotten City a try! my resolution for 2022 is to actually finish some games and make a dent in my backlog before buying any new ones, and since thats on Games Pass ill start with that!
Here's hoping this year is better than the last two. For me Lost Words: Beyond the Page was a lovely game about a little girl dealing with the slow decline and death of her grandmother told thru her diaries and a very nice platformer. It swapped between the two and they surprisingly work well together.
@@Cannotbetamed1 I am a relatively latecomer to your channel but it's a massive joy to see every video you released. ^_^ Thank you so much for the brilliant writing and for a refreshingly different point of view about gaming. :D
@@Cannotbetamed1 Surprised to see Forza on there, driving games seem to be something played a lot more by men. Maybe RTS, except the Germans like them for some reason. No matter if it’s a man or woman.
great list. unsighted just missed mine, tho chicory was near the bottom for me. i thought it was a big drop off after wandersong. raz was one of my favorite protags of the year (didn't find him that memorable from 1) and psychonauts 2 barely missed my top 10. i don't have a pc, but really hope inscryption comes to consoles. glad grime is coming to switch. here's mine (played 84 eligible games by my rules): hm. the vale: shadow of the crown 10. lacuna 9. astalon: tears of the earth 8. eastward 7. shovel knight pocket dungeon 6. returnal 5. exo one 4. resident evil 8: village 3. the forgotten city 2. it takes two 1. hitman 3
While I do enjoy the new games of 2021, the older games always hold a special place for me. Bonk's Adventure on the TurboGraphx-16 is one. The Castle of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse on the Sega Genesis is another. Lastly, oh heck there's too many to list. I'd be curious as to what your older classic list is for top games for say the 16 bit systems? Then the 32-bit, 64-bit, etc. Just curious because while a game can look phenomenal, without top notch game play it's just meh? I subbed as well, I can't understand why I haven't seen your channel? The algorithm sucks...lol. Happy New Year!
Very cool picks. Thanks for another year of videos! :) You reminded me about Psychonauts 2, so I will sign up for one of those Game Pass trial promos...
New to your channel and content, blown away by your writing and particularly the on screen delivery talent. Will be checking your library for a personal Bio piece, fascinating to know the background of someone who plays 49 games in a year and has the appearances of a broadcast journalist.
My faves in no order, SMT5, Metroid Dread, Ys 9 Monstrom Nox, Halo Infinite, Forza Horizon 5, Cyberpunk 2077 (yes, the patched Series X version), Tales of Arise. My GOTY is probably SMT5
I've seen many 'Best Of 2021' lists by now, but this one absolutely stands out as my favorite. There's so much variety instead of the common choices already out there. I really appreciate the eclectic taste of this channel.
Thank you
Hi Pam, I hope you have a lovely new year's eve/day. Your videos this year have been exceptional. May your subs grow into the millions 🙂
Thank you, happy new year!
Second person I'm subbed to, that suggested Unsighted. Never heard any mainstream coverage of that game, but now its going on my Steam Wishlist. Astalon as well.
Cool, I hope you like them when you get around to picking them up.
"You might be dating your sword or weapon!" Transistor veterans, "I know a thing or two about a thing or two!"
0:50 "you play a man made of stone with a black hole for a head". well. that's quite a concept. i'm intrigued!
Thank you, love the love for BFD. I was the animator for the transformation animations. Im glad for the love from the youtubers I follow.
It was such a fun game and I loved the style of it.
Wow, Pam, completing 39 games in a single year is such an amazing achievement.....coming from someone who struggles to complete even half a dozen 😉.
Your top 10 was also the most eclectic mix of games that I have seen so far, in lists of this sort. I hope you're having a wonderful Festive Season, & look forward to your new content in 2022! 🙂
39 was just the games I completed that released this year. I finished 97 games overall.
@@Cannotbetamed1 Damn girl, that's impressive
@@Cannotbetamed1 I played a bunch of different games in 2021 but only "finished" 6 or maybe 7. And one of those was a replay. I wish I had your attention span. Heh.
I will admit I am slow to checking out the indie game selections. I normally wouldn't know where to start but videos like yours, Pam may give me a few ideas.
I'm glad a few of them replicate retro games since that's more my taste.
Anyway hope you had a great Christmas and hopefully have a less apocalyptic new year.
That’s one of the main reason I watch this channel.
Indies are a bit of a minefield. If you find someone with similar tastes it helps a lot.
I've come to really respect your extensive knowledge and reviews of games. Never even heard of #1, will definitely be checking it out!
Awesome, hope you have fun with it.
Damn, that's a lot of games. I honestly struggle to remember what I've played this year, cause 2020 and 2021 have merged into one giant grey blob or "ugh."
But if I had to choose from what I do recall playing in 2021, it'd have to be . . . Skyward Sword HD. Heard so many mixed things about it over the last ten years, and maybe it's cause the Switch port got rid of a lot of the bugbears that people talked about, but I got really caught up in it. Found it charming as hell.
Next up for me is Metroid Dread, which if I remember correctly, has the seal of approval from this channel.
D-doesn't it?
For sure.
Nice call on the OG Rayman music. I love that stuff.
Thanks Pam! Four more games for my wishlist!
Perfect. You should have so many more subscribers. I love your calming style of speaking and the taste in games.
Thank you!
I think Capcom realised they dropped the ball a bit with RE Village by only having Lady Dimitrescu in the opening act. I recall one of the devs commenting they did not know just how hugely popular she would be. Heck, the actresses who brought her to life have won awards, and I think she's the reason a number of people bought the game in the first place.
Solid list as always. Hope you have an awesome 2022! :)
I think even if Lady D had just been a later area of the game that would have been good. I like that the game was divided up between multiple big bads, but she could have been around for longer.
@@Cannotbetamed1 I would love it if she got resurrected somehow or had her own spinoff game. She might very well be the most memorable villain / NPC in the entire franchise.
Great list, Pam! I love your wide range of often obscure or under the radar game picks. After the last game I picked up at your recommendation (Blasphemous, 100% completed now btw, So Good!) I'm going to give The Forgotten City a try (at some point, Santa was good to me this year!). I will give Grime a go as well if it comes to console. Thanks for always having a surprising recommendation! Best YT channel I have found in a long while. Happy New Year!
Thank you so much, happy new year to you!
I only ever stumble across your videos every once in a while but I really enjoy listening to you talk about games
Tnx 4 sharing pAm have a nice end of year! (Resident Evil! Astalon tears of the earth looks good )
I got Metroid Dread for Christmas and I'm into it. Just started it. The E.M.M.I. sequences are like these survival horror puzzle things that once I got the hang of them I really started liking them. I managed to escape the E M M I grasps twice! It's hard but I think I get it.
Each one seems to have completely different timing for escaping the grab.
@@Cannotbetamed1 Ok, thanks. I'm still pretty new. The kill animations are also different so I thought maybe.
Nice to hear you enjoyed Forza Horizon 5. I believe I recommended it to you earlier in the year, and yeah, prior to playing a Forza Horizon game, I never would've thought a racing game would be among my favorite games ever. Amusingly, according to that Xbox Museum thing Microsoft released recently to coincide with the Xbox 20th anniversary, ever since I started playing Forza Horizon 3, a Forza Horizon game has been my most-played game every single year (on Xbox, at least, but probably in general). I've played each of them for probably hundreds of hours, and I just never seem to get sick of them. Forza Horizon 5 is a bit of a mess out of the gate, but it's still really captivating and has tons of content to keep you exploring.
Your comments on Unsighted: "I love games that force you to make hard choices" and "this the kind of game is meant to be played more than once" are a lot more appealing than the visuals that are shown. I couldn't quite tell if this my jam or not. An excellent video as always. Inscryption and The Forgotten City sound like my cup of tea!
There’s a new game from a brand new studio, it’s called “the pale beyond”.
It’s on steam, it’s not out yet. But if hard decision are your vibe then it looks like your thing.
@@mrmagoo-i2l Thanks. I'll check it out.
Thank you! Hope you enjoy them if you check them out.
Yes, Astalon was yet another one you turned me on to. I one hundred percented it in just a few days. Loved it. Thanks again, Pam.
No problem :)
Inscryption is insane. I love it. Had to buy after playing the demo and I'm glad my favorite youtubers (like you) haven't spoiled it.
Best new game I've played in a while
Great list! Been eyeing Astalon for a while and going to definitely buy it now. Loved Forgotten City and Inscryption.
I am intimated by deck building games, but I keep hearing about Inscryption. I'll probably have to try that one out soon. Thanks for the vid-
Rayman Pink Plant Woods Theme.
Nice use of it.❤
Thanks! I love the Rayman music
I love weird/creepy as well as card games so picked up Inscryption based on your recommendation. Haven't been able to put it down since; what an incredible game. Thank you for the awesome recommendations as always!
You’re welcome!
Slightly disappointed that you didn't dress up in a rhinestone tuxedo to present your awards, but still a great list! I never even heard of Before Your Eyes, but now I'm super interested in finding out more!
Not sure why this popped up on my watch list but I'm not mad! The algorithm actually did something good for once! Subbed!
Welcome to the channel.
Now that's one list full of games I've never heard.
Pam is in another level...
Except for RE8 amd Forza...
Impressed how many you played. I barely played 1 -2.
I agree with your #1. Ender
Lillie’s was my second favorite.
I haven’t played most of the ones you listed because I typically only play metroidvanias.
Have a great 2022, Pam. The best is yet to come.
I hope so!
I've found this year to be a great time for indie and non AAA games and it has been very refreshing. I didn't bother getting a PS5 / Xbox this time round and I am loving the back log and smaller games.
Anything Annapurna has put their name to has been excellent fun! We need more non AAA stables out there putting out decent games.
It’s been a great time for indie games for a while now.
Well there are more of those "stables" even though it's kinda against being "independent" but the one most known for a solid selection is Devolver.
@@DajuOnCZcams yeah Devolver has some fun stuff for sure :)
great video. i like your picks. also the honorable mention: grimes is so pretty :)
Most of my games of the year were thanks to you! And Grime looks impressive, The bosses look awesome, That's another one i need to look into. Thanks for all the great videos and recommendations this year, Pam!
You’re welcome ☺️
The guy who looks like a Vautigaunt got me interested.
Great eyeball.
It's tempting to try and go through Before Your Eyes using the Clockwork Orange method.
That would be one way to do it
Really enjoyed your video and love your number one! Nice overview of your top 10 as well.
Thanks!
Wow your channel is amazing, you review many games I have never heared of before.
Nice, Inscryption is my number one. Interesting games to add to my list.
Happy new year!
Happy new year!
Oh btw, if you liked Boyfriend dungeon, you probably gonna like Maglam Lord which just released on the switch. In this game you play as a demon lord who can turn into weapons... and you let others wield you, and then you date the people wielding you... so yeah, its awesome
Might check some of these out look very interesting
Love the Rayman music behind the list!
Been waiting for this last video for 2021.
Great reviews since I subscribed thank you Pam! Looking forward to to more reviews 2022
Thank you, hope you have a happy new year
Pam great job as usual. Always impressed by your knowledge of the games you discuss.
Thanks
🎮🎮🎮 been stuck on Final Fantasy for 12 months Stuck on the one where they become gremlins with the purple good game to have to check them out thank you for sharing happy New Year 🎮🎮😊
Wow, what a wide range of different games. Its quite surprising how different the titles on your top 10 list are :) Many of them I never heard of or did not see or red about much. But I really appreciate it :)
For me its quite hard to make a Top10 List this year, because I bought just 3 or 4 titles, so its hard to even think of 5 titles that i liked this year:
1.) Oddworld: Soulstorm
2.) Loop Hero
3.) Shadow Man Remastered
4.) Geneforge 1 - Mutagen(Remake of the orginal Genforge 1 from Spiderweb Software)
5.) Subnautica: Below Zero
I played Yakuza 1 and 2 Kiwami his year. The games are really great but took a lot of time to finish them(between 50 and 60 hours). So I was quite busy this years playing older games. But still, i wished 2021 were more of a year for role-playing games. I hope 2022 will be better :)
I wish you a happy new year, Pam and a happy new year for everyone else! See you next year! Really looking forward to it, because your channel and your videos are my favorites on youtube! :)
Thank you! And happy new year!
Ironically had to sit through an Envoy ad for the video
Thanx for your video's I like your style and passion. More pls
Pam you are very productive, you can play a bunch of games per year ! Village is also in my top 10 this 2021 !
It was so much fun.
Chicory and Unsighted are definite buys, 2 guys or gals from Brazil made Unsighted.
It’s always good to see small studios pull out a beast.
Looks like the Hyper Light Drifter sequel I’ve been hoping for.
Great video and list! Found you via Dia Lacina and really enjoy your content. Excited to go through and watch past videos to learn more of your faves.
Did you not like Wildermyth? Been hearing great things but haven’t tried it myself. Would also love to know what some of your faves are that you played this year but DIDN’T come out this year. Thanks for the video!
Hey, welcome to the channel! I did like Wildermyth. I thought the procedural generation was very clever, but I also didn't really feel the need to continue playing after a round (campaign?) or two.
My favourite games I played in 2021 that didn't come out during the year were Dark Souls 3, Yakuza Zero, The Procession to Calvary, and The Curse of Monkey Island.
Thank you so much for telling us the best games Pam! Happy New Year! 🙆♀️
Happy new year!
Love this list. So original, unexpected and personal.
Thank you!
Really interesting picks, alot of games I haven't heard of and will definitely be checking out, thank you
No problem!
Incredibly diverse list Pam I love it!
Thanks!
Thanks a lot for your list. I only played Psychonauts 2 this year so I‘m looking forward to checking the other games out too.
Great list Pam! Cannot WAIT to get into Inscryption. You get credit for putting that on my radar.
Hope you like it as much as I did.
Hey ya Pam!! I'm currently Playing Control for the first time!.... great game! Even the story has me enthralled. 😁
It’s a great game, I love the world it creates.
Great list and video, you always make great videos. I didn’t know about a lot of the non-Metroidvania games so thank you. And Astalon was number 2 on my lost behind Phoenotopia. I know you were having a hard time getting into that game but the two of them are my two favorites from this past year. Keep up the great work for 2022!
Thanks!
The dog one gets points just for the title alone
Forgotten City is completely new to me but it sounds right up my street! I need to check that one out.
I spent the day on a Forgotten City binge because I couldn't put it down once I started. That was such a strong recommendation. Really excellent game. Thanks for suggesting it! I wouldn't have known about it otherwise!
That's awesome, so glad you liked it.
The moment we have all been waiting for....drum roll please. I can't tell you how many games I played versus beat.
I keep lists to keep track of these things
Didn't know a bout The Forgotten City, but I'll definately be checking that out. A final addition to a long list of great recommendations from your channel over the course of the year.
I played a lot of backlog stuff this year, and not so many new games as I'd have liked. But a few 2021 titles managed to squeeze into the schedule.
Boyfriend Dungeon and Unpacking are two unexpected favorites. I'm clearly not the target audience for either, but just couldn't put them away once started. And I really enjoyed Forza Horiozon 5, and Psychonauts 2 as well. Far Cry 6 is my other AAA pick of the year.
Thanks for all the videos of 2021, and here's to another year of fun and games in 2022!
I hope you like Forgotten City as much as I did
It's funny. My gf loves Forza Horizon 5 too and she never thought she would ever like a car game, as a matter of fact she always avoided them but she's hooked on FH5. It's a really good game, I have exactly 11 days of game time according the xbox game pass app profile thing on pc.
I don't play many modern games, Not intentionally, I just play whatever is affordablr in the E Shop.
I want to play that Asralon game you showed at the end, I want to give it a shot because it looks fun. Though to be fully honest it seemsa bit pricey for my budget. I might splurge and treat myself.
Pyschonauts 2 looks very interesting as well.
Good video.
Thanks!
Before Your Eyes sounds really interesting, definitely going to check that out. Great list, Pam
Thank you, hope you like it!
I don't think I've played a single thing that came out this year, but my favorite out of what I've played in 2021 is easily Creepy Castle. The title is super generic, but it really surprised me. It's almost like a cross between those old Roguelikes like Castle of the Winds where everything moves in turns, and one of those ancient sidescrolling Action-RPG things like Lutter on the Famicom Disk System, but combat also has WarioWare-style microgames. The whole game has a Princess-Remedy-style Commodore 64 look to it, and the soundtrack has an excellent NES sound to it. What really caught me off-guard, though, was how good the story was; I was just collecting logs as I went, and at the end of the first scenario, it clubbed me upside the head, leading to an unexpectedly emotional climax. Then, there were 4 whole new scenarios, each building an almost completely different kind of game, while using the same engine. Sadly, it didn't do very well, and it's only on Steam, but I'll gladly recommend it to anyone with a PC and an appreciation for the classics.
Wow that Before Your Eyes game sounds really cool
Your lists are always so great! Just added a bunch of new titles to my wishlist
Awesome!
The only games I've played that came out this year where Little Nightmares II, GRIME and Ender Lilies (all on PC through Steam, with a Xbox One controller). I liked GRIME the most, put about 93 hours in that game. I also found it a bit easier than Ender Lilies, which has quite tough bosses and passages and 3 chances to heal at start (which was sometimes punishing). I'll have another go with GRIME when comes to Xbox One. Had another go with The Surge 2 (Premium Edition, with all DLC's) on PC as well. Happy new year and greetz from the Netherlands!
93 hours, wow! Is it that long of a game?
@@Cannotbetamed1 Those were actually 2 playthroughs. I missed the opportunity for the alternate ending by choosing to fight the final boss (I won't spoil further). The game has no New Game+ (yet), so I had to start anew from level 1 on a new savefile, fought some quite hard optional bosses and I wanted to find all the collectibles on the 1st save. On the 2nd playthrough I used the pulling skill more and got quite familiar with deflecting and absorbing, making some things a bit easier (spent more mass on the resonance stat).
Today I also completed Ender Lilies, that took me about 51 hours. Wanted to find everything and some locations (like Twin Spires, Verboten Domain and The Abyss) were though to get through. Also a good half of the bosses gave me a very hard time to learn their attack patterns and how to deal with them, and some skills from the spirits I had to practice with. But finally I made to 100% completion.
Happy New Year. Thank you for the post.
Happy new year!
I’ve never hear of your number 1 2021 game. Thank you for sharing your unique perspective!
No problem
Grime is my #1 and Astalon is my #2. Great list.
Thanks so much for a great year of videos!
Happy New Year, Pam - good luck in 2022 🎇🎇🍾🥂⭐️
Happy new year!
My personal favorite of 2021 was "There is No Game". Such a weird quirky point and click in the 21st century. Great game if you love Douglass Adams and Terry Pratchett.
That sounds really cool, I'll check that out.
Hey Pam Great list! I just picked up Astalon recently. I’m going to play it after I finish Tails of Iron. I loved Ender Lilies as well. Other games I finished this year (maybe didn’t release this year) that stood out were Deaths Gambit Afterlife, Aggelos, 3000th Dual and Minoria. Hope you have a happy and blessed New Year!
Happy new year! I want to check out Aggelos.
@@Cannotbetamed1
You should definitely play Aggelos. You won’t be disappointed, it’s such a fun game.
What a great list! I've heard some great things about the Psychonauts series and I'm now very interested to try that one out.
Thanks! The first Psychonauts is cool as well but I find this new one just handles so much better.
Great video - we had almost zero overlap in games played! Haha. I play on Mac/PC & Switch, and most hours went into a replay (with both DLC) of The Outer Worlds on Switch, and I’m in the midst of Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous on Mac now. Really enjoyed discovering your channel (from a VtM video, another game I replayed this year!), happy new year and good luck in the coming year!
Thank you, happy new year!
Really good, diverse list! I really want to play Forza but I know I'll play for maybe a day or two, b/c racing usually isn't my thing. ...But I do want to play it just to say I played it lol.
Cool list, and seems we have a lot of overlap in the games we enjoy, plus I get to see new ones I've never heard of if I follow this channel, so looks like I've found myself a new curator of cool games. ^^
Welcome to the channel!
Fuck yeah, Astalon! What a great, great game that came out of nowhere for me and, as with you, gripped me from start to finish. Each night after the kids were asleep, I was chomping at the bit to get back to it and further my progress. Astalon and Cyber Shadow were the only games this year which managed to keep me glued to a single game from the time I started them to the moment I completed them. I am very excited to see where the series goes from here.
Yeah, it was a surprise for me too, I had heard very little about it.
Great list of games encapsulating multiple genres. Unsighted looks awesome and glad to see Ender Lilies made the list. Happy New Year Pam!
Thank you, happy new year!
Astalon looks great- I just finished Tails of Iron and it was one of my GotY great Ratroidvania with Souks-like combat - so a new metroidvania is welcome.
My physical copy of Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth, turned up today though so I’m about to start it right away x Happy New Year Pam, your channel is my first point of call for Metroidvania info now x
Aww thanks. And happy new year!
I would never dislike this vid, but if i did, you would never see it anyways. Good list and cheers to 2022!
I can still see the dislikes.
@@Cannotbetamed1 Us viewers can't.
Great list Pam, surprised no Deaths Door, but you have convinced me to give the Forgotten City a try! my resolution for 2022 is to actually finish some games and make a dent in my backlog before buying any new ones, and since thats on Games Pass ill start with that!
Death's Door was just okay for me.
Thank you Pam and I wish you the best for 2022!
Happy new year!
This is definitely a unique list. Thanks for letting us know of these games Pam. Happy New Year!
Happy new year!
A nice list of familiar and not so familiar titles, many of which i will look into based on your descriptions of them.
Here's hoping this year is better than the last two. For me Lost Words: Beyond the Page was a lovely game about a little girl dealing with the slow decline and death of her grandmother told thru her diaries and a very nice platformer. It swapped between the two and they surprisingly work well together.
This was a truly surprising list! Lots of games that truly shine of their own light. :D Thanks for this and keep up with the awesome videos!
Glad you enjoyed it.
@@Cannotbetamed1 I am a relatively latecomer to your channel but it's a massive joy to see every video you released. ^_^ Thank you so much for the brilliant writing and for a refreshingly different point of view about gaming. :D
@@Cannotbetamed1 Surprised to see Forza on there, driving games seem to be something played a lot more by men.
Maybe RTS, except the Germans like them for some reason. No matter if it’s a man or woman.
The Forgotten City is excellent. One of my favorite recent games for sure.
Sure things in life Death taxes and great videos by Pam thank you. Happy New Year Pam
Happy new year!
great list. unsighted just missed mine, tho chicory was near the bottom for me. i thought it was a big drop off after wandersong. raz was one of my favorite protags of the year (didn't find him that memorable from 1) and psychonauts 2 barely missed my top 10. i don't have a pc, but really hope inscryption comes to consoles. glad grime is coming to switch.
here's mine (played 84 eligible games by my rules):
hm. the vale: shadow of the crown
10. lacuna
9. astalon: tears of the earth
8. eastward
7. shovel knight pocket dungeon
6. returnal
5. exo one
4. resident evil 8: village
3. the forgotten city
2. it takes two
1. hitman 3
While I do enjoy the new games of 2021, the older games always hold a special place for me. Bonk's Adventure on the TurboGraphx-16 is one. The Castle of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse on the Sega Genesis is another. Lastly, oh heck there's too many to list. I'd be curious as to what your older classic list is for top games for say the 16 bit systems? Then the 32-bit, 64-bit, etc. Just curious because while a game can look phenomenal, without top notch game play it's just meh? I subbed as well, I can't understand why I haven't seen your channel? The algorithm sucks...lol.
Happy New Year!
Welcome to the channel!
Very cool picks. Thanks for another year of videos! :) You reminded me about Psychonauts 2, so I will sign up for one of those Game Pass trial promos...
Good idea
New to your channel and content, blown away by your writing and particularly the on screen delivery talent. Will be checking your library for a personal Bio piece, fascinating to know the background of someone who plays 49 games in a year and has the appearances of a broadcast journalist.
Thanks so much, welcome to the channel
Great list! There's a couple I'll be adding to my wishlists.
My faves in no order, SMT5, Metroid Dread, Ys 9 Monstrom Nox, Halo Infinite, Forza Horizon 5, Cyberpunk 2077 (yes, the patched Series X version), Tales of Arise. My GOTY is probably SMT5
Great video! 🤘🏻Only played Resident Evil: Village from this list of games! Will definitely check out The Forgotten City. Looks good 👍🏻
Thanks!